This invention relates generally to transducer head assemblies and more particularly to transducer head assemblies in which there are a plurality of transducer heads mounted therein.
It has long been recognized that a problem exists in reading simultaneously all three channels on a card having magnetic strips with a single-head structure because the strip surface is bowed and in general forms a concave cylinder, having an axis parallel to the direction of the card movement across the head. Consequently, pneumatic gap line which lies in a plane cannot simultaneously make contact with the entire magnetic strip surface and the sagittal separation causes "spacing losses" in one or more of the channels.
This invention provides a solution to the problem and consists of a special transducer head assembly especially suitable for reading three channels on credit cards having parallel magnetic strips or other magnetic strip media. The invention consists of means for providing compliance for each of three jointly mounted magnetic heads, such that each head can individually track its respective channel independent of distortions in the track or warpage in the card. Intimate contact between the magnetic media and the heads is maintained and spacing losses are minimized. An additional advantage of this head assembly is that the individual heads can have different core structures. That is, some heads are for read only, while other heads can have core structures which permit them to be used for both reading and writing. Either of these heads can be mounted in this mounting assembly because of the individual translation permitted.
It is an object of the transducer head assembly of this invention to permit the heads to translate individually.
Another object of the present invention is to permit the individual tracking heads to compensate for distortions in the recorded material.
Another object of the present invention is to permit the mounting of heads on a single assembly which can have different core structures.
These and other objects of the present invention will become apparent when the detailed description is considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.